Hand supported comminutor with reciprocable grinding member



May 25, 1954 ARM 2,679,360

HAND SUPPORTED COMMINUTOR WITH RECIPROCABLE GRINDING MEMBER Filed Aug. 20, 1951 A/i/voi fi if/ /w mofw Patented May 25, 1954 HAND SUPPORTED OOMMINUTOR WITH RECIPROCABLE GRINDING MEMBER Arnold Arni, Solothurn, Switzerland Application August 20, 1951, Serial No. 242,605

Claims priority, application Switzerland November 8, 1950 3 Claims.

This invention relates to grinding dispensers and particularly to a dispenser of the type i cluding a grinding member longitudinally displaceable in a body, the grinding including cutting edges extending about at least a portion of the circumference of the member.

An object of the invention is to provide for a grinding dispenser in which the distance between every two adjacent cutting edges diminishes towards the discharge end of the apparatus.

Other objects and features will be apparent as the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing illustratin by way of example, an embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through the grinding dispenser.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View of the grinding member on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary bottom view of the grinding dispenser, on a somewhat larger scale than Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on a larger scale through a portion of the grinding pan.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View through the cover of the grinding dispenser.

Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of the cover, and

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view through the upper portion of the body on a smaller scale than Fig. 1 and illustrating a stop member.

The body I has a lower cylindrical portion 2 comprising a foot or base 3. A grinding pan 4 is fixed to the inside of the portion 2. The grinding pan 4 has countercutting edges 5, the distance between adjacent edges 5 diminishing towards the discharge opening 6 of the grinding dispenser. Furthermore, the depth of the spaces or grooves I lying between adjacent countereclges 5 decreases towards the opening 6. All of the counteredges 5 lie on a body of revolution which tapers towards the discharge opening 5 and whose generatrix is a curved line, such as, for instance, of the general shape of compound interest curves. As may be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the lower end of the pan 4 has passages in the shape of six axial grooves or notches 9. There may be less or more than six grooves.

The upper opening of the body I can be closed by a cover ii] having an axial collar i i which, in

the closed condition of the grinding dispenser, is guided on the inner surface of the body i. The cover it) also comprises a sleeve !2 serving as an outer guide to an extension I3 of the button I 4. A spindle I5 is screwed into the extension l3 as indicated at 13a and carries at its lower end the grinding member 16. The sleeve l2 contains a return spring I! surrounding the spindle I5 and bearing at its upper end against a shoulder of the extension 13 and at its lower end against the bottom of the sleeve l2. The spring l7, therefore, tends to press a frusto conical portion l8 of the grinding member 16 against a conical surface it] of the pan 4 to close the discharge aperture 6.

The grindin member l6 has annular cutting edges 20, the distance of adjacent edges 20 diminishing towards the discharge aperture 6. Also the depth of grooves 20a between every two adlacent edges 20 decreases towards the opening 6. The row of cutting edges 20 is interrupted by an annular groove or depression 2| forming, together with the pan 4, a metering chamber 2| a for the substance to be delivered edges 29 lying below the depression 2|.

The cover 10 is not only movable in the axial direction but also is rotatable on the body I; As is particularly shown in Fig. 5, the collar ll of the cover H] has a cut-out 22 and on the inner surface of the body l a nose-shaped stop 23 (Fig. 7) is provided. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the upper surface of the cover 10 shows an index 24 to be aligned, for a purpose described later on, with another index, not shown, on the outer circumferential surface of the body I.

The grinding dispenser may be used, for example, for grindin grains of condiment such as pepper, or another condiment or substance may be ground. In filling the body I the cover I!) is drawn out of its position in Fig. 1 upwardly and as far as possible against the constraint of the spring ii. In order to fill the body I with condiment the cover I!) is turned until the index 24 of the cover is no longer in alignment with the index not shown on the body 4. Upon releasing the cover IE1, the sprin I! presses the lower edge 25 of the collar H against the upper edge 26 of the nose 21-3 so that the spring H! is prevented from displacing the cover it] to the position of Fig. 1. The grindin dispenser is turned to a horizontal position with the cut-out 22 turned upwardly and the condiment may be poured into the body l through the cut-out 22. After filling, the cover it is turned back until the two indices are again aligned with each other and the cutout 22 is against in alignment with the nose 23. The spring I I will return the cover it) into the closing position of Fig. 1. If it be now desired to grind pepper and to spread it over the food, the body is taken hold of at the spot 21 between to the cutting the forefinger and the middle finger, for instance, and with the thumb of the same hand the button H3 is pressed down against the constraint of spring ll. Then the button 14 is let go and afterwards again depressed and these manipulations are repeated until the desired quantity of pepper has been ground and spread. On a down stroke of the grinding member 18, the uppermost cutting edge 20 cuts the pepper grains in halves, and these bisected grains are further disintegrated by the following cutting edges 29 lying above the groove 2|, in cooperation with the countercutting edges 5 of the pant until they arrive at a meterin chamber 21a, formed of the depression 2| and the pan 4. During the several down strokes of the plug Hi, the pepper quantity metered in this chamber passes between the edges 20 and 5 lying below the depression 2| and, due to the fact that the mutual distance of these edges and the depth of the spaces lying between -them diminishes towards the discharge aperture 6, the metered substance is ground finer and finer until it reaches the passage means 9 and, on eachdown stroke of the frustum l8, escapes through the space between the latter and the conical surface 19 of the pan 4.

By reason of the fact that the distance between adjacent cutting edges decreases towards the discharge end of the grinding dispenser, a perfect disintegration of the pepper or other condiment or goods is guaranteed. This efiect is considerably aided by the distance between adjacent countercutting edges diminishing towards the outlet and by the arrangement of these edges on .a surface of revolution tapering towards the outlet, the generatrix of this Surface being a curved line. While the metering chamber 2! provides for metering and free passage of the goods to the lower portions of the plug 16 and the pan 4, uniform and reliable discharge of the ground goods is guaranteed by the grooves or notches 9.

Helical cutting and/or countercutting edges may be substituted for the annular edges 20 and 5.

Grains of different kind other than pepper, such as, for instance, sugar, coffee, salt, or other substance may be disintegrated with the aid of my grinding dispenser.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that other embodiments may be resorted to without departing from the invention. Therefore, the form of the invention set out above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A grinding dispenser comprising a container for material to be dispensed, the interior of the lower end of the container being of generally funnel shape, outlet means at the lower end of the container, a reciprocable grinding member extending through the outlet, a closure member at the lower end of the reciprocable grinding member releasably engaging the end of the outlet to close the container, a spring normally urging the reciprocable member into outlet closing position, a plurality of cutting members at least partially extending transversely around the reciprocable grinding member, the cutting members interrupted by a space therebetween forming a metering chamber, and a plurality of cutting members extending transversely around the surface of the funnel-shaped inner portion of the container, the cutting members of th reciprocable member and the cutting members of the funnel-shaped surface operative upon an outward movement of the reciprocable member.

2. A grindin dispenser comprising a container for material to be dispensed, the interior of the lower end'of the container bein of generally funnel shape, outlet means at the lower end of the container, means forming a plurality of axially extending grooves in the wall of the outlet, a reciprocable grinding member extending through the outlet, va closure member at the lower end of the reciprocable grinding member releasably engaging the end of th outlet to close the container, a spring normally urging the reciprocable member into outlet closin position, a plurality .of cutting members at least partially extending transversely around the reciprocable grinding member, and a plurality of cutting members extending transversely around the surface of the funnel-shaped inner portion of the containenthe cutting members of the reciprocable member and the cutting members of the funnel-shaped surface operative upon an outward movement of the reciprocable member.

3. A grinding dispenser comprising a container for material to be dispensed, the interior of the lower end of the container being of generally funnel shape, outlet means at the lower end of the container, means forming a plurality of axially extending grooves in the wall of the outlet, a reciprocable grinding member extendin through the outlet, a closure member at the lower end of the reciprocable grinding member releasably engaging the end of the outlet to close .the container, a spring normally urging the reciprocable member into outlet closing position, a plurality of cutting members at least partially extending transversely around the reciprocable grinding member, the cutting members interrupted by a space therebetween forming a, metering chamber, and a plurality of cuttin members extending transversely around the surface of the funnel-shaped inner portion of the container, the cuttingmembers of the reciprocable member and the cutting members of the funnel-shaped surface operative upon an outward movement of the reciprocable member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 56,063 Keep et al July 3, 1866 1,354,626 Service Oct. 5, 1920 1,366,929 Pasnik Feb. 1, 1921 1,439,259 Pasnik Dec. 19, 1922 2,045,058 I Stern June 23, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,167 Germany of 1879 557,898 Germany Aug. 29, 1932 250,861 Switzerland July 1, 1948 754,792 France Nov. 14, 1933 804,555 France Oct. 27, 1936 

